Using the new polynucs

[gavin]

At the weekend I bought some inexpensive plastic beading as D suggested and will soon try gluing it into place (wood glue?). If this helps then maybe Roger can add some to the package as they wouldn't be an expensive addition.

I'll probably always now paint the ledges the top bars sit on with polyurethene varnish - a bit of toughening up will help.

As for a crown board a sheet of heavy polythene, cut to cover most of the top bars, will probably work as well. No >>PING<<, less squashing. The ability to feed with minimal disturbance.

They seem warm so build-up during the summer should be better (mine are certainly building well) and winter survival should be better than wood. So far, I quite like them. Looking forward too to seeing the design Murray has come up with.

G.

PS I should add that I like the small entrance - it is just the size it should be for a nuc. I can't see a 6-frame nuc being bothered by congestion, and it is a good size for them to defend.

[Adam]

The opening is about the right size IMO - but with a heavy wasp attack and a small colony it's not straightforward to close up to just the odd bee space. I personally don't like entrances on corners !

[Adam]

Gavin
Can you clear you inbox out? I can't get a pm through to you!

[The Drone Ranger]

Being a bit of a bodger I just took a sharp knife to the wide central rib and cut it down in height to give a bee space (so bees avoid being squashed) and stuffed some foam in the unused feeder slot

[Kate Atchley]

BE WARNED ... Apparently the camphor in certain Varroa treatments - eg Apivar - seriously affects the polystyrene so such treatments are not compatible with these hives.

I hope folk find his out before their nucs become damaged.

Kate

[The Drone Ranger]

Gavin
How's the mating success rate using these Poly Nucs
I haven't had much luck but it might have been weather or murphy's law

[gavin]

Poor. Roughly one third mated and laying, one third drone layers, one third early failures.

Others not using these boxes also report poor mating, so I'm not blaming the boxes.

[Jon]

I am getting good results with apideas this year so I would also blame the weather rather than the box.
I have about 30 queens mated and only two drone layers so far.

[Kate Atchley]

Anecdotal evidence only: queen in first one, set up late May, was very slow to lay (about a month) and is now forging ahead with great slabs of brood.

I filled three more this week and will let you know how they fare. I'd heard that one lot liked to meditate and others worshipped the sun - see pic!

Kate

[gavin]

I see that you have placed a slab under the entrance. I can see why - when you first set them up you get bees milling about on the ground, certain that the front door was somewhere near here but not realising that they had to jump up a cm or so to get there. I wonder if your slab might also discourage the attentions of rodents. I'll bet that they would be willing to lurk underneath the hive, out of sight, but with your arrangement they would have to go in head first to nibble at the entrance and expose their rears to a watching world of cats, kestrels, owls and other types of mouse horrors. I don't suppose that anyone has stress-tested these things yet during peak mouse invasion season?